Captain Bob from The Land by Hugh McDonald

A Captain Bob
(Chorus }
Fifty years he sailed the Shenandoah
Steady hand upon the wheel , kept her on an even keel,
Raise the anchor , hoist the sail , were headed out to sea again,
One more time with captain Bob, aboard the Shenandoah.

In nineteen sixty three or four Captain bob began the chore
to build a square top schooner from oak and Douglass fir
built her sound and sailed her down,to Martha's Vineyard and all around
The legend of the black dog ships was born
.
We hoist the sail while Billy sings a verse of South Australia,
Heave away until we hear the call for up behind,
Fifteen knots 'll make her run, chase the wind and catch the sun,
Drop the anchor, fire the guns , and moor off Nor Shorn island
.
It's dark and stormys ,every night, with music in the galley,
We play and sing and drink until the last song fades away
Billy's singing up a storm, all the players play along
And Captain Bob spell binds us with his salty sea dog stories
.
"Ready on the throat, ready on the peak"', land lubbers on the briny deep,
There's Yanks and Pommies, Aussie ,Scots, such a sad bedraggled lot,
We stay up late to sing and drink, and when the heads begin to stink
We take the party up on deck to keep the crew from sleeping.
.
So Captain Bob and motley crew, I'll sing this ditty just for you,
It's my way of saying thanks for the good times that I've had,
All the nights beneath the stars, between the ocean and the spars
I'll shed a tear or two,when we dock at Vineyard Haven

• Australian
• Bush
• Folk
• henry lawson
• poetry
• Melbourne